Gandhinagar, Jan 23 (IANS) Emphasising that the transformation of villages is central to India’s long-term growth, Gujarat’s Rural Development Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya said on Friday that the vision of “Viksit Bharat@2047” can be realised only when villages evolve into vibrant economic hubs.

He was speaking while chairing a high-level review meeting in Gandhinagar to assess the implementation of key rural development schemes across the state.

The meeting focused on a comprehensive review of works undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G), Swachh Bharat Mission–Gramin (SBM-G), and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The Minister took detailed updates on physical and financial progress, quality of execution, and timelines of projects being implemented at the village level.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, Minister Bavaliya said villages must be developed on the lines of cities by ensuring modern infrastructure, basic amenities, and improved quality of life.

He underlined the need for an “innovation in lifestyle” approach to make rural areas self-reliant, productive, and economically dynamic.

The Minister stressed that all villages should be equipped with urban-like facilities and that rural development works must be executed with speed, quality, and durability.

He directed officials to ensure that even the most remote citizens are not left out of the development process and that all government-set physical and financial targets are achieved within stipulated timelines through proper planning and coordination.

Senior officials, including Rural Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi, Additional Commissioner of Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development B.M. Prajapati, and district-level officers from across the state, were present at the review meeting.

Villages in Gujarat represent a diverse and dynamic rural landscape, spread across arid regions like Kutch, fertile belts of north and central Gujarat, coastal villages along Saurashtra, and the tribal-dominated eastern districts.

These villages form the backbone of the state’s economy through agriculture, dairy farming, fisheries, handicrafts, salt production, and small-scale rural industries, supported strongly by cooperative movements and self-help groups.

While many villages still face challenges such as water scarcity, migration, and limited non-farm employment, Gujarat’s rural areas have witnessed steady transformation through improved road connectivity, electrification, drinking water supply, sanitation coverage, digital services, and rural housing schemes.

Increasing focus on skill development, women-led enterprises, renewable energy, and village-level infrastructure is gradually turning Gujarat’s villages into centres of local economic activity, social empowerment, and sustainable development, aligning rural growth with the state’s broader development vision.

–IANS

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